


The Bat and the Bird

by Batkate



Series: The Bat and the Bird [1]
Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M, Friends to Lovers, Sexual Tension, Smut, Sparring
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-13
Updated: 2013-06-23
Packaged: 2017-12-14 20:37:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/841128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Batkate/pseuds/Batkate
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Dick and Barbara used to wrestle with each other as kids - before they hit puberty and things got awkward. But it didn't feel awkward anymore … if anything it felt a little TOO natural."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**March 3** **rd** **2011 16:12 EST – Stately Wayne Manor**

Something was off about Wayne Manor. Actually, something had always been off about Wayne Manor. It was just that Barbara Gordon had never questioned it. This is the home of the playboy philanthropist who adopted a circus kid who he raises with their elderly butler – it was a weird family. But in the nearly 4 years since she first visited the drafty mansion, the 13 year old had never felt as off about it as she did now.

Dick had asked her to come over to study, but no one seemed to be home. That wasn't unusual … Dick had been skipping their study sessions a lot lately – he had a new girlfriend that he swore he would to introduce her to soon – and Bruce was barely there even when Dick didn't ditch her. Maybe Alfred was out at the store or something. She huffed as she quickly found the hidden key in that one loose brick and got out of the cold.

It's not that she was mad at Dick for getting a girl (OK, maybe she felt a _little_ left out), but she needed a particular book for the assignment and he kept forgetting to bring it to her. _Some friend_ , she thought and walked towards stairs to his room. However, as she passed Mr. Wayne's office she heard a shriek.

Rushing into the office, all she found was a bat trapped in the fireplace. With a clear head, she immediately opened the vent and let him fly out. And that's when she knew something was off.

"The vent was closed," she muttered to herself. And the door had been closed, so the creature must have come in somewhere through the study. But it was March and still snowy, which meant Alfred had closed the enormous windows of the mansion tight. _So how did it get in?_ She asked herself.

She didn't know why the mystery bothered her so much, but it did. She took off her gloves and started to walk with her hand out, feeling for any breeze that could have come from outside. She finally felt a soft push of cool air, only to turn around and find … the clock.

 _What?_ She went to inspect the antique grandfather clock by Mr. Wayne's desk. _Why would the breeze be coming from –_

Her train of thought stopped when she saw that the clock was on a slight angle from the wall and peaking behind the clock revealed not a wall, but stairs. Stairs built out of cavernous rock that seemed to go down forever. She didn't remember walking down the stairs, but she must have because a minute later she was in a very drafty but very real cave that just happened to have a giant computer system, a judo mat, a robotic T-Rex and … the Batmobile.

 _Holy crap._ The last four years of her life flashed past her. Every last minute raincheck. Every terrible excuse. Every time he seemed to be gone at the first sign of trouble. Last summer when Mr. Freeze had tried to kill her and Robin _insisted_ on carrying her to safety, bridal style. Her fists tightened.

"I'm going to kill him." She grunted.

"I'd really prefer you didn't."

She spun around and found herself staring up at Batman and all she could think was _Well that explains why I've always found Bruce Wayne intimidating_.

"I suggest you get out, Ms. Gordon."

Blinking for the first time in what seemed like forever, Barbara somehow found her gumption. "And why should I?"

"You are trespassing on private property."

"And what, you're going to call the police and tell them I'm trespassing on the Batcave?"

"I doubt anyone would believe you."

"My father would."

Silence. Barb had just made Batman speechless. And yet she still had her kneecaps.

"What do you want, Ms. Gordon?"

It took her a moment to process what he was implying. Blackmail. He thought she was blackmailing him. And with the Wayne fortune, that could mean almost anything. But she was Jim Gordon's daughter and she couldn't – wouldn't – do that.

"I don't want any money, Mr. Wayne."

The Dark Knight paused, sizing her up. "Then what?"

 _Well, the giant dinosaur would be pretty awesome_ , she thought only half kidding. But her eyes scanned down from the T-Rex to the glass case where the prototype Batman and Robin suits were displayed.

"Mr. Wayne," she smiled as she turned to look Batman ( _Batman!_ ) in the eye. "I want a job."

**Feburary 13** **th** **2016 23:24 EST Mount Justice**

"Recognize: Nightwing B01"

Wrapping her knuckles with boxing tape, Barbara looked up to greet her friend coming out of the zeta tube. "Hey you! … Why aren't you in uniform?"

A tired-looking Dick Grayson in training sweats and "identity hiding" sunglasses rubbed his neck as he walked toward her on the sparring floor.

"I went home after Star City … but I couldn't sleep. Thought a midnight work out would do me good. So why are you here?"

Barbara motioned to her training sweats, to the sparring floor, to the tape around her wrists and knuckles. "Oh you know … doing my nails. What do _you_ think, Birdboy?"

Dick smirked as he dropped his duffel bag and took off his sweatshirt, revealing a plain white, skin hugging tank. Not that she was looking. "Babs, don't I get to at least be Birdman at this point?"

"Hey, you had the chance to be Birdman when you stopped being Robin. But no, you had to be 'Nightwing,'" the 18 year old said making quotation marks with her hands, "because it's all _mysterious and sexy_!"

"Hey, at least I had _two_ original superhero names, _Bat_ girl," He paused as something registered and there came another smirk. "So… you think Nightwing is sexy?"

She felt the blood rushing to her face."I—I said the _name_ is sexy. Didn't say anything about Nightwing being sexy."

"No, but that's just implied, isn't it?"

Her eyes shot up and glared at him, but glaring meant that she was looking at him and as he turned to tape up she started staring at his sculpted arms and chiseled back and _damnit best friends aren't supposed to be this hot_! Tall and ripped with those broad shoulders and that smile – puberty was good to Dick, which meant her thoughts about him weren't always 100% platonic and had gotten worse all the time. But she snapped out of it because Dick was joining her on the mat, which meant she could make him pay for that little remark.

"Are you ready for me, Ms. Gordon?"

"Oh, bring it," she said, egging him on with a crook of her fingers.

They began playfully, just lightly sparring with each other in silence. _That's the nice thing about Babs,_ thought Dick. _We know each others' moves so well. It's always a challenge surprising her._

Hell, he always enjoyed the way she fought. When fighting the baddies out in the field, he'd see a streak of red in his peripheral vision and smile knowing that Babs just roundhouse kicked some poor shlub in the face. Was it bad that he found that kind of sexy? After all, her body was lean and made for movement … and sometimes that movement included giving henchmen concussions. The two of them had started taking turns doning Bruce's suit to keep up appearances and he knew part of her extra training was to bulk up, but he kind of thought her body was great just the way it was.

Despite the long day of work at the Cave and the added late night intervention, his body started to wake up as she swiftly avoided his jabs, always with a smile on her face. He started bobbing more to keep up with her, but he wanted to see how far she could go.

"Maneuver 2."

She stopped moving. "Dick, come on."

"Babs, you know you can't call me that here," he said warily.

She threw her hands up exasperated. "Are you serious? We're absolutely alone tonight. I don't even think Wolf is here!"

"It's not just my secret, Babs, and you know that. And you're stalling. Maneuver 2."

After an angry sigh, she ran full force at him and in one graceful motion did a one-handed flip on his right shoulder (her hair just brushing his face in such a teasing way), landed, turned and kicked him square in the lower back at full force. Dick cringed as he fell flat on his face, the sensors in the floor letting him know that "Nightwing: Failed." _I keep forgetting how much Maneuver 2 hurts when you're not wearing Kevlar_.

"Crap, are you OK?" He heard from above a moment after hitting the floor. He felt himself get turned over and there was Barb kneeling beside him. With his back throbbing and his head dizzy, somehow all he could think was, _God, her eyes are pretty._

"Goddamn it, I'm used to you having your suit on – I'm so sorry."

"Are you kidding?" Dick said with a giddy laugh as his head cleared, "That was _perfect_! The next goon who tries to take you on won't know what hit him."

A relieved Babs stood and offered her hand, but Dick wasn't about to let her go that easily. Always the troll, he pulled her to the floor and pinned her below him.

"Oh, looks like I caught a baticus Gordonus!" he said with an air of triumph.

Of course, it was only after he was hovering over her with her wrists over her head and his legs on either side of her hip that he realized he might not have thought through this prank. Because with her squirming underneath him, it wasn't hard for him to imagine them in the same position except in his bed where he could pull off her tank top and move his hand slowly up her torso and under her bra while leaning down to her neck and—

"Do you have any plans to let me go, oh fearless leader?" She was smirking and waiting patiently for an answer. He was still dazed from his mind wandering, but he recovered quickly with a quip.

"Oh, not a chance. It's not every day you get to capture the protégé of the great and powerful Batman." _That's right, Grayson. Play it casual. You weren't just thinking about feeling up your best friend._

She squirmed again and a lock of her hair fell in her face. Dick instinctually tucked it behind her ear and that was his mistake because once he moved his hand, she flipped _him_ over and put _his_ hands above his head.

"You were saying, Birdie?" she said triumphantly.

_Why does she have to be so damn sexy?_

"I was saying," he struggled against her hands on his wrists, "that it's not every day you get to capture Batman's protégé, so you better make it count, Gordon."

"Oh, I plan to," she said as she squeezed his waist tighter with her thighs.

_Why does her top have to be so low cut?_

She leaned a little closer to him, her eyes heavy lidded, lips parted as she loosened her grip on his wrists. His hands freed, they instantly went to her waist. Without thinking, his fingers had crept just underneath the shirt and with that little bit of direct contact, Barbara closed her eyes and let out a small moan.

 _Damnit, why did she still have clothes on?_ He was so turned on and he wasn't sure what to do and _Oh crap, these sweats are not going to leave much to the imagination_!

"Um, why don't we take five?" Dick said, jerking his body to his side and moving her off of him, "I'll be back in a few minutes."

Dick ran to the kitchen and frantically splashed handfuls of water on his face, but that didn't stop him from remembering Babs' gorgeous face and her red hair splayed out like waves. They used to play these games with each other as kids … before they hit puberty and things got awkward. But it didn't feel awkward anymore … if anything it felt a little _too_ natural.

Ever since she became Batgirl they were able to flirt safely – a little flirting, then backing off. A little touch of the shoulder and a smile, then backing off. A quick hide from goons in a ventilation shaft with her on top of him … and then backing off. And a cold shower. But it was getting harder and harder to back off.

Jesus, he hadn't felt this way about anyone since Zee, and that's saying something. But he knew that dating teammates can be dangerous – he had been lucky that he could still be friends with Zee at all and there were still a few weeks where they couldn't be in the same room with each other. Other heroes hadn't been so lucky with their love lives and it always ended up hurting the team. But it was more than just the normal what if of breaking up – in their line of work you can't afford to love a teammate – the worry will drive you insane. And actually losing them ...

But then he remembered back to how she felt on top of him … and underneath him. How her chest moved as she tried to catch her breath. And how she seemed to like it … to want it. That in the last year it had escalated quickly from just flirting, at least for him. Maybe for her, too. Maybe he _did_ want to be with Babs … well OK, he did want to be _with her_ since the only thing on his mind in the last five minutes had been pulling her lips to his and using his other hand to move along the elastic of her sweats and – _Damnit Grayson, FOCUS!_

Of course, Babs was obviously relieved when she had some time to recover … except that growing part of her that was missing his touch. She had come to train that night so she could relieve her overwhelming tension – tension from patrolling, tension from school, tension from missions. But the last five minutes just added to the tension … some very specific tension. She was so revved up from what had just happened she was tempted to find him and flat out jump him, but she never knew if he was just friendly flirting or actually interested. How much of it was reciprocated and how much was wishful thinking?

Not that they could do anything either way. She'd be lying if she said he didn't turn her on (how could he not with that body and that smile and those hands on her waist), but it was stupid to think like that. For one, Dick was her oldest friend and for another, he was the leader of their team and for another … well, she couldn't think of another but there must be something! And it didn't matter that he turned her on in moments like this. It didn't matter that these feelings had gotten more … _urgent_ lately. And it certainly didn't matter that she cared about him more than almost anyone – the two of them were a _team_. That came with certain responsibilities and with Bruce gone for who knows how long, Tim and the safety of Gotham were their responsibility and _it just isn't the time for us,_ she told herself. _It might never be._

Dick came back with two bottles of water. His tanktop and face were dripping wet. She tried to ignore the fact that his shirt was now clinging to his pecs. _Stay casual_ , she thought.

"What, got into a fight with the faucet?"

"No, I just … splashed some cold water on my face. Because it got warm. And you know, because I'm so tired. " He sat down next to her and handed her one of the bottles. "It's just after midnight, you know."

"Well, we can call it a night if you want."

"No," he said a little more urgently than she expected, but his tone changed to his normal smart-ass. "I mean … if you think you can get me to quit, you got another thing coming, Gordon. We need a rematch. Just give me a few more minutes to rest."

They drank their waters in awkward silence for a while. Normally they shared comfortable silences, but after what just happened … or almost just happened –

"So why were you working out alone, anyway?"

Babs snapped out of it. "Uh, what?"

"Why were you alone when I came in?"

She shrugged. "Almost everyone is out on patrol. Mal said L'gaan and M'gann are off on a date. Connor apparently left all moody" ("Again" the pair said in unison.) "and Cassie was supposed to come by but apparently Jaime is having a really bad night or something and she was going to get a bite with him."

"Yeah, it seems like almost everyone is having a bad night." He stared at his water bottle like it was the most interesting thing in the world. She looked at her own.

"So, I'm guessing Star City didn't go very well?"

"Well, he's not on drugs, which is better than I expected," he said with a grimace. He took a deep breath. "Roy's stealing, Babs. Or at least he's taking money from the people he helps. And he's a mess and still obsessed with finding Speedy and … he blames us for not looking long enough."

With that admission on his lips, she hesitated for just a moment because what could she say that would help him? She could tell him Roy is wrong or get angry that was even said to him, but she knew it would fall on deaf ears. She ended up just putting her hand on his, which seemed to help. He at least didn't shake it away.

But Dick scoffed at himself. "Hell, maybe we didn't look long enough. If it had been Batman I would have kept looking. If it had been Robin. If it had been – "

He stopped himself, as if that could conceal what Babs knew he was going to say. He looked at her for a moment, her heart skipped a beat and she cursed it for betraying her. Looking straight forward again, he paused before taking her hand in his and squeezing it. Suddenly the silence was comfortable again. Barbara relished it.

"I don't know," he said after a few minutes, "Wally thinks we did all we could."

Babs' eyes narrowed. "Oh he does, does he?"

Dick look to her, confused. "Yeah, he does."

She pulled her hand away. "Well, if that's what Wally says it must be true."

"Hey, what's your problem with KF?"

"Oh, I have no problem with _Kid Flash_ ," her voice was getting more and more venomous, "I have plenty of problems with Wally West."

She stood up and began to walk away before she lost her temper, but he stood and took her wrist.

"What the hell do you mean by that, Barb?"

"Forget I said anything!"

"Just because he left the team?"

"Forget—"

"I didn't hold that against him, why should you?"

"He made her quit!" The words reverberated throughout the high ceilings of the training room. She closed her eyes and thanked heaven they were alone. But Dick was still standing there, holding her wrist tight and glaring at her. Even through the tint of his glasses, she could feel his gorgeous icy blue eyes pierce her own.

"Listen to me. Artemis chose to leave. It was her choice to make," he said flatly.

"Yeah, that's what I thought, too. But for a whole year they used to visit every month! And yet we haven't seen them here since July."

"They're busy."

"Dick, _every time_ I call her up, she doesn't talk about herself or school or Wally – she always moves the conversation to the Team. She wants to hear about every mission I've been on, if anyone was hurt, what enemies we've fought—"

"She's just … looking out for her friends."

"And when I visited them for Christmas, Wally barely talked to me! Anytime she asked about the team, he scowled and marched out of the room!"

"He's going through a stressful time at school, Barbara!"

She stared disbelieving at Dick. Was he really covering for Wally? And with that terrible excuse? "Wally's keeping her away. She _misses it_. You can hear it in her voice. She's hungry to rejoin the Team. "

"You—you don't understand the situation _,_ Babs."

"I understand enough, _dick_."

Angry, he pulled her closer so their faces were an inch away. "I told you not to call me that here," he said.

But she wasn't about going to back down. "Oh trust me, _Nightwing_ , that was lowercase. As in, 'You are being a.'"

"You don't know what you're talking about, _Gordon_."

"Then please, enlighten me! If I'm wrong, tell me why!"

Dick hesitated for just a moment. She waited, hoping he would tell her whatever he was keeping from her. But his face tighten again as he said, "I'm team leader and there are things you don't have clearance to know."

What, she was supposed to believe Wally's douchebaggery was a team matter? OK, _now_ she was pissed.

"What I _know,"_ she said looking straight into his eyes _,_ "is that Tula died, Kaldur went nuts and Wally in turn became an overprotective asshole. I used to think Artemis wanted to leave as much as Wally, but the way he's been acting, maybe he made her quit!"

"Maybe she loved _him_ enough to quit when he asked!"

"So what? You wouldn't ask _me_ to quit!"

"You aren't my girlfriend!"

Silence. Babs wasn't mad anymore. She was just stunned and … hurt and she wasn't even sure why she was hurt. She turned her head to the side because something must have gotten in her eye and she _refused_ to give Dick the satisfaction of seeing her tear up. He was still holding onto her wrist, but she felt him loosened his grip.

"Barbara, I didn't – "

"Recognize: Miss Martian B05, Lagoon Boy B21."

"No, you had the better present, Angelfish!" L'gann was gushing over M'gaan as usual as they walked from the zeta tube. Dick released Babs' wrist and they each took a generous step away from each other.

"Hi, you two!" M'gann beamed "Aw, it's nice that you're spending time together this morning."

Dazed, confused, Babs just muttered, "What about this morning?"

Dick pursed his lips when it dawned on him. "It's Feburary 14th," he said quietly.

The computer screen behind them confirmed it … It was 12:20 on February the 14th. Valentine's Day.

"I, um … I have to go," Barbara grabbed her duffle bag and made a dash for the zeta tubes.

"Babs, wait –"

But she was already gone. M'gann and L'gann had already made their way to the kitchen, leaving Dick alone. He could have gone after her – he was supposed to go back home to Gotham, after all – but he decided to just spend the night in his room at Mount Justice. _It's just simpler_ , he thought.

But simple wasn't really simple. With a secret alien invasion on the horizon, his mentor a million miles away on a far-off world, the plan with Artemis in the works and now Babs questioning him about Wally … simple wasn't part of his life anymore.

And it was so obvious to him that he did want to be with her (he was so tired of denying it to himself), but even putting aside the everyday dangers of this life, how could he possibly have a serious relationship with her when he has to keep the plan from her? It was going to be bad enough that he's lying to Babs as her friend, but if he lied to Babs as her—

 _I can't,_ he thought. _I'd only end up hurting her. I can't be that selfish._ But as he grabbed his sweatshirt, he noted that except for the last 5 minutes, this had been the best start to a Valentine's Day he had ever had.


	2. Chapter 2

**September 30th, 2007 14:35 EST – Stately Wayne Manor**

"Come on Barbara, you can do it!"

"Richard Grayson, what makes you think I can possibly do this?"

She was 10 and it was her first time at Wayne Manor, the home of Dick Grayson. They had just gotten out of the pool and for some reason Dick was eager to show her the gym. She had only known him for a month and while she didn't know how it happened, Barbara found herself about to use the uneven bars even though she had no idea what she was doing and had the perfectly rational fear of dying from internal bleeding.

"Barbara, you have nothing to worry about. Just stay tight, squeeze your core and stay focused. Have your mind set on the goal from step one. "

"Look, Grayson, I'm more of a ground person and I can't –"

Dick took her hands and rubbed them with chalk. His palms and fingertips were calloused from his many years in the circus. His blue eyes fixed on hers and she couldn't bear to look away. "Stay focused," he repeated, "Stay tight. You control how your body moves through the air. Once you understand that … you can do anything."

 _Anything…_ , she thought. As he gave her room, she took a deep breath. She only had to try it once, to prove she could do it. She never did like backing down from a challenge.

Tightening up, she jumped to the high bar, swinging once before letting go at just the right time. In that moment in the air, she felt utter joy. No, not joy … thrill! She was flying! She embraced the rush of adrenaline that filled her entire body and as she grabbed the lower bar, she only craved more. … Of course, she crashed hard on the mat after letting go of the second bar, but any bruises were worth what she just felt.

"Babs!" Dick jumped down to get to her.

 _Oh, great_ , she thought, _he's going to rub the landing in my face._

"You were _fantastic_!"

She blinked. "Wait, what?"

"You did so much better than I did my first time … granted I was four, but still! How did it feel?"

She looked at Dick, looked at the bars and looked back to him. "Teach me how to land," she said with a huge grin.

**February 16, 2016 4:03 EST – Gotham**

"Hey Barbara!"

Barb's eyes snapped back into focus as Tim jumped into her car.

"Oh, hi Timbo. How was school?"

He unceremoniously threw his school bag into the back as she pulled out of the Gotham Academy parking lot. "Boring as usual. _But_ I got an A in Spanish."

"Enhorabuena!" she said as she ruffled his gel slicked hair.

"Jeez, watch it!" he said as he batted away her hand and pushed his hair back in place. "Thanks for picking me up."

"No problem, kiddo. I figured Alfred really needed a day off."

"And Dick's out of town."

Babs' smile fell. "Oh, right."

Tim winced at the slip. "He didn't tell you, did he?"

"We … just haven't talked to each other in a couple days."

Tim paused before responding. "Since Valentine's Day?"

Babs whipped her head in his direction. "What did he tell you?"

"Nothing!" Tim put hands up, "He just didn't come back to town until that afternoon and he barely talked to me. Then he gave me the night off and went out in Bruce's suit. Did you guys have a fight?"

She sighed. "Honestly, I'm not sure what we had."

Silence as the car moved through the Gotham suburbs, where the snow was just beginning to melt away.

What was he hiding about Wally that he couldn't tell his best girl … friend. His best friend who happens to be a girl. And not Wally. Didn't she deserve that much respect – that much trust – after all they've been through? But maybe he had always kept secrets from her … after all, it took a lost bat for her to discover who he really was.

As the ride became bumpy on the country road, the vibrations of the car hit her in just the right place and she was sent back into the time right before their fight, when she was on top of him. She could feel his hard, toned torso beneath her pelvis and his hands on her waist again. She had been so turned on that all he would have had to do was pull her head down to his and she would have happily –

" _Maybe she loved him enough to quit when he asked!" "So what? You wouldn't ask me to quit!" "You aren't my girlfriend!"_

She winced thinking of _that_ moment. And yet she kept replaying it, over and over in her head – it was making her sick. It's not like she could be his girlfriend anytime soon ( _too many responsibilities_ , she reminded herself), but for him to make it so clear that he wasn't interested? Yeah, that hurt, and the fact that she had moaned at a simple touch of her hip minutes before he said that just made her embarrassed. Maybe he felt like she crossed a line. Maybe their friendship was ruined. God, she was so confused.

"He cares about you a lot." Tim broke the silence and put his hand on her shoulder.

"… I know he does, Tim."

"And I do, too."

She looked at him with just a little surprise. It wasn't like any teenager to be this earnest to their elder… especially if their elder was only a few years older than them. But then again, Tim was always a sweetheart.

"Thanks, Tim."

Another block passed by.

"You know, I might just mention to your friend Stephanie what a sensitive guy you're becoming."

Tim's eyes went wide. "You wouldn't dare!"

Babs laughed as she turned onto the winding road leading to Wayne Manor.

**1:31 PST – San Palo**

Dick stood on the porch while Artemis locked the apartment.

"Thanks for walking with me, Rob," she said as she buttoned up her jacket. "Wally isn't back until 4, so I don't normally have company walking to this class."

"Please, I needed to stretch my legs anyway."

"Here," handing him a spare key, "You can let yourself in and hang out with Nelson until Wally gets back. I should be home around 5:30 and then we can test out everything."

Test out everything. Test out the capsule that will simulate her pulse stopping for two hours. Test out how Wally will handle seeing his skills in the chem lab put his girlfriend into a temporary coma. Test out if Wally will even talk to him this time. _This is going to be a fun night_ , Dick thought to himself with a grimace.

While San Palo was certainly warmer than Gotham in February, there was a chill in the air as he and Artemis hit the sidewalk. Dick quickly put his hands in his coat pocket, but not before adjusting his sunglasses.

"Rob, it's been nearly six years. Are you ever going to show me who you are?"

"Need to know basis, archer. You'll have to figure it out for yourself if you're that interested," he said tapping his glasses.

"Well, what if I find out on my own and want to hear you tell me?" She said as she gave him a friendly push.

"Then we'll be at an impasse, friend." He was smiling. _The world could be invaded at any time, the closest thing I have to a father is millions of miles away and I'm going to help fake kill one of my best friends, but somehow I'm smiling._ Of course, there were only two people guaranteed to make him grin lately … one of them was faking her death within a few months and the other might never talked to him again. Great.

"Artemis, what happens when you find yourself attracted to your best friend?"

"No idea, I fell for my adversary," She stopped. "Wait, you aren't talking about Wall—"

"No!" he said. "I'm talking about a woman best friend."

She didn't move.

Dick sighed. "It's not you, either."

" _OK_ , I going to take a shot in the dark and guess this woman best friend happens to fight the scourge of crime in fair Gotham City?"

"… Hypothetically that could be true." He could see her smirking out the corner of his eye. "It's also hypothetical that she started asking too many questions related to you and Wally and I yelled at her and when she yelled back I … sort of implied our relationship was just platonic. And this all happened on Valentine's Day."

His friend paused for a moment to comprehend the run-on sentence. "Wow … that is quite a hypothetical scenario you have going, Rob."

"And this was right after we almost made out."

She full out stopped at this point. "Rob, what are you doing?"

He sighed. "I don't know."

"Why are you messing with Barb's head?"

"I'm not trying to, Arty!"

"Well, _is_ your relationship platonic?"

Palms on the crown of his head, Dick looked up to the hazy grey sky.

"No. And I really don't want it to be."

She continued walking. "Then you have your answer."

Thinking in place for a few moments, he remembered his devil's advocate and jogged to catch up with Artemis. "But it's not that simple! I can't afford to be serious with anyone. I'm already going to be lying to the whole team soon enough. It would be cruel to get close to anyone right now, especially _her_."

Artemis pondered his words. "I get that," she put her hand on his shoulder, "I really do, but you have to at least apologize for whatever you said to her. At the very least."

He rubbed the back of his neck in frustration, but Artemis wasn't done.

"And if you're willing to take some extra advice, here it is: When I first joined the team, I spent a lot of time pushing people away. If I had let myself be upfront about my secrets and my real feelings from the beginning, Wally and I would have probably been together much earlier. We wasted _months_ of that first year that could have been spent together and now that –," she bit her lip, "Now that the plan is in motion, I'm going to spend every day I'm gone wishing I had all those moments back." After a small moment of quiet stillness, the pair continued walking.

They were close to the campus now and he thought about what he had said to Babs … what she had said to him.

" _What I know is that Tula died, Kaldur went nuts and Wally in turn became an overprotective asshole. I used to think Artemis wanted to leave as much as Wally, but the way he's been acting, maybe he made her quit!"_

"Did Wally make you quit?" The words came out of Dick's mouth before he even realized it.

Artemis' eyes flashed. "Rob, I left because _I_ needed space," she said, "But that doesn't mean I won't miss it when I'm gone."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this before the season was over and before the comic was done, so I kept the Artemis/Dick relationship ambivalent as far as how much she knew.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning: this is the chapter where the E rating comes into place.

**February 18** **th** **, 2016 22:02 EST – Gotham**

"Yeah Dad, I'll remember," Barbara said into the phone as she zipped up her suit.

"Don't stay up too late. You have your class tomorrow," her dad said. She could hear the sirens going off in the background of the phone and the same sirens softly echoing into her studio apartment from the outside.

"Dad, I'm in college," she sat on her bed and held the phone to her shoulder while she put on her boots, "You don't have to tell me I have class. And I'll just be studying tonight."

Studying for a class that doesn't exist … one of three imaginary classes to hide her actual busy schedule.

"Well, you need your sleep, too."

"Dad," she said tersely while pulling out her cape and cowl from the drawer, "I'm fine. I'm good. I'm peachy. And you sound like you're busy so go be a hero, OK? Um, by the way, where are you?"

"La Salle and Monroe. Fifth Bank got hit … but don't worry about me. Just study and go to bed."

She gave him her love and hung up the phone so she could finally put her cowl on. Facing away from the window, she adjusted her cape and looked at how in the dark the bright lights of the city hit the opposite wall like a spotlight … until there was a silhouette.

TAP TAP TAP.

As if she didn't already know who was tapping on the glass. Dick, in full Nightwing gear, perched on her fire escape like he had so many times, both here and back at her dad's place. Even when he was dating Zatanna, Dick would visit her window on her nights off or they'd come back after patrolling together – just hours of DVDs or video games or comfortable silence. Unlike the awkward fest that was happening at the moment.

"Nightwing," she said after opening the frosted window. "I didn't know you were back in town."

He ignored her comment, ignored the formality in her voice as he leaned down and got a good look at her. "You're in your suit."

Her eyes narrowed. "Nothing gets past you, boy detective. I'm going on patrol with Tim."

"Tim said you've been on duty for three nights straight. Keep this up and you're going to wear yourself out. Make yourself vulnerable."

It was lightly snowing and there was a definite chill to the air, but there was no way Barbara was going to shiver and show weakness in front of Dick. "Actually," she said grabbing her gauntlets, "Batgirl hasn't been out for a few days. Now _Batman_ was out for the past two days since the _other_ Batman had to skip town." She pointed to the wrap she used to tape down her chest and the voice modifier on her desk. "Someone has to keep up appearances."

"I don't want to see you get hurt, Babs. The – the team can't have you hurt."

She adjusted her gloves. "Doesn't matter."

"What do you mean it doesn't matter? You're being irresponsible."

She didn't respond, didn't look up and didn't want to admit that he was a little bit right. She also didn't want to admit that he looked gorgeous against the light of her window.

"You need to get rest for tomorrow's mission!" he continued.

"I'm rest _less_ tonight." _I'm angry and hurt and confused and I just don't want to think about you, Dick Grayson._ "I want to get out. Besides, Tim needs me."

" _I_ need you!" he said a little too loudly. It made her jump. "I mean, I need to _talk_ to you. Please hold off for a few minutes."

She stared him down, evaluating her choices. He bit his lip and she cursed herself for liking it.

Finally, Babs put her index finger to the side of her cowl with her headset. "Robin, I … might be late getting back into the city."

"Everything OK?" the headset lightly crackled in her ear.

"Yeah, just start without me and I'll try to meet up with you later. You'll want to get to La Salle and Monroe – bank robbery."

She gestured for Dick to come in so she could close the window. He sat on the very edge of her bed and rubbed the back of his neck – a nervous tick she had picked up on years ago.

She leaned back on the cold window to avoid getting close to him, but after a minute she was losing her patience, her butt was getting cold and frankly she refused to make this drama go on for any longer.

"Nightwing," she said, "You know I have a mission tomorrow and I need to either get out there with Robin right now or just go to bed. If you're worried our argument is going to hurt the team, don't." She looked down. "I'm not going to stay mad at you or hold a grudge if that's what this is about, so whatever you have to say can wait until—"

"I'm so sorry I yelled at you Babs," he stood up and took two big step towards her, "and I didn't mean any of it and I hate that I hurt our friendship and you don't deserve that and I didn't have time to get you anything because I just got back into town so this is an IOU for something amazing!" he said, pushing the torn sheet of loose leaf. It had scribbled on it the very literal "IOU something amazing."

 _Grayson, that's the least smooth you've ever been,_ he thought with loathing. It had sounded so much more elegant in his head. Dick was just hoping for any sort of positive response, but Babs stared down at the crumbled scrap of paper with bewilderment … until she burst out laughing.

In full armor, Batgirl was laughing so hard that she started to lose balance. Dick instinctually moved forward and held out his arm for her to grab. As he shifted his weight to steady her, he was just grateful to see her smile again.

"Boy Wonder," she sighed, putting a hand to his cheek, "You are such a dork! What the hell am I going to do with you?"

He tried to hide it, but even through her glove he relished her touch. Between the contact and her laughter, it was like coming home. He heard himself reply, "Don't I get to be Man Wonder now?"

Barbara laughed again and sat on the floor _._ She motioned to the spot next to her.

"Sit down already, Birdbrain."

"I really am sorry," he said as he dropped to the floor and shifted beside her, "There's no excuse for the way I snapped at you."

"It's OK," she said, patting his knee, "I said some things I regret, too."

"What are you talking about? You were just looking out for Artemis. What I did was out of line."

"No, it really wasn't," she sighed, "Look, I was frustrated by the Wally/Artemis thing, but that's not really why I was so angry. I've been your friend for a long time and after I learned your secret I thought that was going to be the end of us keeping secrets from each other for good. And I got mad at you the other night because I thought you didn't trust me. But..."

She looked up at the ceiling. "But that was childish of me. You are our leader and a really good one. I think," her voice wavered, "I _thought_ we were closer, but maybe we're just teammates now. What I mean is, I would understand if you feel like I overstepped some boundaries during our fight and … before it."

It took him a few seconds to comprehend what she was saying. _She thinks I don't_ –

"Barbara," he faced her, "You were the first person I talked to about my parents."

She blinked. "What?"

"I mean, there was Bruce, but he was there that night so I never had to tell him that story. And Wally only found out about it when I had already told him my secret identity. But I felt safe with you from the start. And quite honestly, I want you to call me out on my bullshit! The only other people who do are either in outer space or on the west coast! So please, _please_ don't think I mistrusted you or that I don't count you as my closest friend."

Babs smiled thinly at him. "Sure, Dick."

But looking in her eyes, Dick knew she wasn't convinced. He took a deep breath and exhaled. _There's no turning back now._

"I have to tell you something else. Something you might not like."

Her eyes became wary. Her body stiffened as if bracing for impact. "What is it?"

"What happened the day you became Batgirl?"

She raised her eyebrow. "Well, I went to meet you at the manor and I found –" "a bat," they said together.

"In the fireplace," Dick continued with his eyes closed facing straight ahead, "in Bruce's office. Struggling to get out. You opened the vent."

Pause. "How – how do you know that?"

He looked at her and enveloped her hand with his. "Because I was there. I planted the bat and opened the clock entrance so you had the chance to find it."

Another pause, but she didn't pull away her hand from his. That was a good sign.

"Why did you do that?"

"Because … when I became Robin, a couple weeks after I started school with you, one of my first harebrained ideas was that I wanted you to join me. Not just another kid – you specifically," He smiled as he remembered, "This was in my first week on the job, mind you, and Bruce said absolutely not. You were just a kid with no training and his friend's daughter and it was ridiculous. But I wasn't giving up.

"Babs … I asked you to try gymnastics because I wanted to train you myself. I was thrilled when I saw you loved the rush as much as I did and you were _good_ at it. I wasn't surprised when you joined the gymnastics team. You picked it up so quickly and add that to your mean punch …" his thoughts wandered as a few friendly scuffles came into his mind, "You were meant to be Batgirl. And a couple times a year I would bring it up as casually as I could to Bruce, but he kept saying no."

She shook her head trying to make sense of the story. "So where does the bat trap come in?"

"Well, after we stopped Savage's mind control over the League, the adults panicked. They knew something big had happened or was coming or both, and even Bruce understood we needed all the help we could get. He actually asked me if I still believed you could do it. I said absolutely."

"Are you serious? He agreed just like that?"

"Well, he was set on giving you a test of will. You know how the great ninja feels about tests. You had to be thoughtful enough to help the bat, clever enough to find the entrance, bold enough to go down the steps, noble enough to not take the bribe and brave enough to ask him for the cowl.

I think he figured he'd get you on the last one but Babsie," he said, affectionately placing his hand on her cheek, "you passed with flying colors. I just never knew how to tell you. I didn't want you to feel like you didn't earn your place on the team."

His heart leapt when she closed her eyes and melted into his touch. Then those striking blue eyes shot open. "But why did you choose me? Just because I was your friend?"

"No, because," he stammered trying to find the right words. He stood up to find his bearings, "You were … you _are_ one of the people I trust more than anyone else in the world. There's no one else I would want fighting by my side in Bruce's place and I hope you never forget that, B—"

She jumped up like a cheetah and pulled him into a very unexpected hug. He closed his eyes and told himself this wasn't crossing the line – there was no harm in enjoying her arms around his neck and the way her breath grazed his ear. There was no harm in relishing how small she felt in his arms or how she smelled like flowers.

But touching Babs – and having Babs touch him – was waking up his whole body. His _whole_ body. He could feel himself getting hard and even wearing his suit they were too close for her not to notice. And yet he could see her bed out of the corner of his eye and the pull to kiss her, to really grab her and to take her was so much worse than the other night. He was aching and knew if he didn't leave right at that moment he wouldn't be able to control himself. _I should leave_ , he thought. _I should really leave._

But as he fought with himself to pull away, his lip just barely grazed her jaw line, making her let out a soft but very real moan. Yep, that did it.

She cursed herself for the slip, but with his breath on her jaw added to his arms around her … how could she not moan a little? He had moved his head so he was face-to-face with her and she was worried he'd be upset, but instead he pulled her a little tighter. OK, _now_ she was confused because he was just a couple inches away from her face and he licked his lips and she involuntary mimicked him and he moved his hand down to her upper thigh and _How the hell is this happening?_ her brain shouted at her. Unlike the other night that was filled with maybes and doubts, his intentions were now crystal clear … and somehow that scared her even more.

But Batgirl was never afraid, especially not afraid of her best friend. Her best friend who had his hands on her back and her thigh in just the right spots to light her belly on fire. Her best friend who looked like he was about to do something very, very stupid for both of them.

"This will ruin everything," she said in a whisper, hating herself for pulling away slightly and hating herself more for still holding onto his neck.

He pulled his head back a little. Dick knew she was right, more than she even knew it. She looked so lovely in the moonlight, but if he did what he wanted to do right now he would only hurt her by the end. But then she had to bite her lower lip and look up at him with her big blue eyes and –

"I don't care," he snarled before finally closing the gap and pressing his lips hard onto hers.

 _Holy crap, this is happening!_ Her best friend, her Nightwing, had just growled the sexiest three word sentence ever about _her_. His arms were on her. She was kissing him, she was _finally_ kissing him and it could cost her everything. But as heat pooled in her abdomen, she didn't care either.

Dick pulled her so hard that her feet lifted off the ground. She gasped, opening her mouth to a kiss that electrified her whole body. With her eyes closed tight, his arms supporting her legs wrapped around his waist and his tongue slipping into her mouth, she was seeing stars and imagined the universe within Dick Grayson. She could get lost in him forever.

Dick's mind flashed as his senses lit up. She tasted and smelled so good, like honey and wildflowers. Her lips were so soft but her kisses were so firm and he couldn't figure out how she did that. Her tongue wasn't afraid to explore his mouth while his hands desperately groped her legs … _Jesus, her legs_. And then he thought of all the times they had come close to this point and always backed away. _If I had known it would feel like this…_

"Barbara, your lips are incredible," he muttered in between kisses, "And your eyes. And your legs. And -"

Frustrated, Babs took the next kiss to bite his lower lip, but that made him groaned, which made her groan, which made him growl. Dick moved to her neck, only to taste synthetic fabric on his tongue and lips. Opening his eyes, it only just hit him that her cowl covered a lot of her head. Definitely too covered.

"Babs," he said, "Your mask."

She nodded and kissed his neck right below his ear, making him shutter while she got her feet back on the ground. She pulled her mask off and tried to straighten her hair, but Dick gave her another scorching kiss, pushed her against the wall and pressed against her body. The force wasn't sweet and it wasn't gentle and it made her so fucking wet. She let out a cry (moan? scream?) and Dick kept that damn dangerous look on his face while he held her hips in place with his hands. She shivered in sweet anticipation and after brushing her jawline with his lips, Dick finally, finally he kissed her neck.

 _Jesus Christ!_ Her eyes rolled to the back of her head. Nerves on high alert, every touch from his mouth added to the fire in her belly. She wanted more of him, all of him and ran her hand through his hair to keep him in place on her skin. But then he got cheeky and moved his hand to her breast and on instinct – _those years of training_ – Barbara gripped his hair hard and pulled him back. His head jerked back from the sheer force of her hands, he let out a hiss that turned into a long, agonizing moan.

But the Bird and the Bat locked eyes in understanding. They were non-meta crimefighters – they were used to having big purple bruises on their sides, split lips, stitches. They were used to living dangerously and pushing their bodies in ways their civilian friends couldn't possibly imagine. Her exes never got why she played rough, but Dick got it. Because they always knew they could both handle physical force … but now they each knew the other one _liked_ it.

"Oh, you fucking goddess," he said, his head still tilted up by her grip and his eyes closed. Holding him in place, she stood on her tiptoes and feathered her lips against his. "Best … compliment … ever," she said in triumph.

She relaxed her grip, his eyes snapped open. He took back control, wedging her harder against the wall as if to challenge her. She let out a strained whine at the restored contact – his hot, wet mouth on her neck and his hands on waist and his very noticeable bulge pressing against her.

"Holy… fuh-uuuck, Grayson," she groaned, the words vibrating from her throat onto his lips as he eagerly lavished her skin with attention.

"This is such a stupid idea," Her voice was breathy and oh so sexy and her skin tasted divine and _why didn't I do this sooner?_

"I know," he said, "We're such idiots."

"I just can't believe we're doing this." She gasped when his thigh pressed against her core.

"Oh, I can," Dick smiled, still refusing to leave her neck, "I'm just sorry I didn't finish what we started the other day in the training room. Babsie, I've wanted to do this for a long, long time."

"Well, you sure took enough time to te-ellllll—ll me." Her words stumbled as Dick had discovered a perfect spot in the crook of her neck and just started sucking. Her knees buckled and she grabbed onto his forearms with all her might.

"What was that?" Dick asked smiling against her skin. "I didn't quite hear you there."

"Oh screw you!" Babs grabbed the back of his head to move him back to her lips. She adored those lips and how he tasted like peppermint and how his tongue seemed to know just what to do to drive her insane.

But he was still chuckling into her mouth, which just wouldn't do. That's why she kicked his legs underneath him so he fell on his back. Holding his wrists by his head with one hand, she lay on top of him, her other fingertips quickly traveled down to his crotch. She grabbed him hard enough for him to feel it through the suit's protection – her efforts were not in vain because he immediately gasped and groaned and got harder.

"Never troll a troller, Dick," she whispered with an evil smile just inches from his mouth. Sicko that she was, she couldn't help but savor how he groaned as she massaged him even though his suit. How he cursed as she blew on his neck. How he whimpered when she refused to kiss him even when he leaned up. How he was hard and it was all for her.

Finally, he was resigned to close his eyes, lean his head back and let her do her magic while he bit his lip in some desperate attempt at stability. _Fat chance_ , she thought. But even biting his lip, he was grinning like a bastard.

"Sweetie, if this is the kind of results I get, what makes you think I'll _ever_ stop trolling you?"

Out of equal parts frustration and horniness and stupid affection, she pulled herself back to his lips and just kept kissing him, kissing him as if the world would end any moment, kissing him as if making up for years of lost time. She ground her pelvis against him, enjoying feeling what she did to him while her own heat built more and more.

He whispered his encouragement, "Oh god, Barbara, that is – yeah right there, just – don—'t stop. Don't stop."

The next few moments (Minutes? Hours?) were a blur for Babs. Later she'd remember flashes of his mouth, his hands, his hips all touching her. She'd remembered both of them muttering at different times that they should stop, that they should slow down. She'd remembered the sound of her utility belt clanging as Dick threw it across the room, of him shaking when she undid his belt and her hand grazed his groin (maybe a little on purpose). She'd remembered standing up and taking off their suits piece by piece, Dick taking time to kiss and suck on each new exposed area of her skin (spending a little longer at her breasts), until he was just in his boxer briefs and his mask and she was just in her underwear.

With a wicked grin and more force than necessary, she ripped off his mask.

"Finally! Hello, Dick Grayson," Barbara said. She could finally see his eyes, his beautiful icy blue eyes … which were staring directing at her bare chest.

"Really, Dick?" She pulled him in with a kiss and brought both of them down to her bed. She kissed him, she ground against his hip and she finally just started groping at his back while she sucked on his neck. Dick was swept up in her, more than ready to take her, but he wanted to go slow – to make sure she enjoyed her first time. He held her firm and kissed down her neck to her panting chest to her torso to her core, but she stopped him by gripping his hair … hard. _Oh man, she is so hot when she does that._

"No," she said through clenched teeth, "You're doing that next time. I need you in me _now_."

 _She said next time_ , he thought. _Next time is good._

A condom came out of thin air ( _when did she have time to reach for that?_ ) and she made quick work of the little clothing they had left. Her eagerness only made him harder, only made the animal in his chest fight harder to get out, but he still carefully rolled the condom on and eased himself into place on top of her. She moaned as he entered her and he trembled. Being inside her felt achingly good, but he forced himself to stay slow. Mind-numbingly slow. After a few moments of this slow ease-in, Barbara stopped cooing and raised her eyebrows.

"Really, Dick? I'm not a china doll."

"I know, sweetheart, but if we don't go slow this first time… ," he trailed off, not knowing how to end that sentence without getting embarrassed. Suddenly she got it.

"Dick, you do know I've _done_ this before, right?"

He blinked. "Wait, really?"

" _Yeah_ ," she said as she squeezed his waist with thighs and turned them over so she was on top, giving him no time to think about just who got to be with her first, "So don't you dare hold back."

That was apparently all the approval Dick needed. He sat straight up so she was sitting in his lap, her breasts against his pecks. Hands on her hips, he supported her movements, which were firm but powerful. She undulated and ground hard against his pelvic bone while he sucked on her collar bone and trailed kisses up to her neck. He bucked a little against her and she moaned, relishing how good he felt inside her. At some point the kissing stopped and there was only the rhythm of their hips together, getting faster. Her desired built and the sound of his desperate panting brought her so close to the brink.

"Dick, I can't hold on!" she cried.

She was determined to hold on for longer, to make it last for him … but then he moved his hand down to her core.

"Do it, Babs," he grunted as he rubbed that bundle of nerves and bucked one more time. She gasped as pleasure exploded through her body. It was the most intense orgasm she had ever felt, even from herself – it was so intense she automatically pushed Dick's torso down hard on the bed and arched her back, reveling in wave after wave.

Eyes shut, Dick felt a chill as she pushed his back to the mattress. He was determined to hold back his release, but he still shuttered as muscles convulsed against his cock and she ran her fingertips down his bare chest. It shouldn't have been a surprised that when he looked up at her face, Dick was dumbstruck.

"You're … god, Barbara, do you even know?"

"Kno— know what?" she gasped. She was coming down from her orgasm, still panting when her eyes met his. City lights from the opposite window were cast on the bed, making the white lights of Gotham seem to glow around her. There was her and only her, his best friend and his partner, naked and on top of him and completely in heaven. He could help but reach up and cup her cheek.

"Do you even know how beautiful you really are?"

It was all in his eyes, his gorgeous blue eyes. Like all those years ago on the uneven bars, one look from him and she knew she could trust him with anything.

"Why don't you show me?" she smiled and leaned in.

With the biggest grin and one last scorching kiss, he flipped them over so he was on top. His pace was quicker this time, their hunger for each other growing as her hips moved in time. She clawed at his back, their bodies now rocking hard against the bed, the headboard hitting the wall over and over.

"Babs," he gasped, "We're going to put a hole in your wall."

"You can patch it," she clenched her teeth, "Just don't stop."

He closed his eyes tight, concentrating on pounding into her as hard and fast as possible because it felt so damn good. He couldn't imagine it getting any better… until she came again. Until she arched her back again. Until she screamed.

"RICHARD!"

Her orgasm rocked him and his mind went white as he hit his peak. It radiated through his entire body and yet somewhere though the haze, he realized Barbara had pulled his body down with her, hugging him and savoring how he trembled in the orgasmic bliss.


	4. Chapter 4

**February 18th, 2016 23:15 EST – Gotham**

"Holy. God."

He gasped for air against her sternum. The euphoric Dick Grayson was lying on the bare chest of Barbara Gordon: Batgirl, his best friend, daughter of the commissioner. Oh, and the girl who kind of just rocked his world.

God, he loved how his head rose and fell with the panting of her chest. He loved how he could kiss the inner curve of her breast. He loved how he could taste the sweat on her skin. The winter chill had crept into Barbara's drafty apartment, but the blanket still only covered their legs – after what they just did, they had enough body heat to keep each other warm.

In the back of his mind he had known they wouldn't make it long tonight. With all their heavy foreplay, it's no surprise they both peaked quickly and that was OK because they were still learning each other's body, but he never thought it would be this … intense. It had never been this intense. His mind was racing from the adrenaline and he just couldn't help grinning. He moved his hand down to rub her upper thigh.

"That was incredible," he said and tilted his head up at Babs, who was staring at the ceiling in her own giggly daze while she started running her fingers in his hair. She took a deep breath to calm down.

"Well yeah, it was pretty good," she said nonchalantly. A bead of sweat ran down the side of her face.

"Pretty good!" he pulled himself up her body to kiss her neck while his hand played with her breast. "Are you saying this doesn't count toward my 'I owe you something amazing' IOU?"

"Well, I just don't know if it was _that_ _amazing_ ," Babs teased, walking her fingers up his back, "I mean, according to Artemis, Wally _vibrates_." She grinned like the devil.

"OK, how am I supposed to compete with that! You want me to get super powers?," he sat up and finally disposed of the condom in the nearby waste basket, "Cause I'll find a radioactive animal to bite me if that's what you –"

"Get back down here, Grayson!" She pulled him back to her, this time kissing him and nipping at his bottom lip. They rolled and kissed and rearranged until she was lying beside him on the crook of his arm, her top arm wrapped around his torso.

"I'm … I'm sorry I fought with you," she said into his shoulder after a minute, "But I don't like what I'm seeing from Wally and the last time I asked Artemis about it she wouldn't tell me anything and it got me angry, you know? I just wish I knew what was going on. That she's OK."

It would have been so easy to just tell her. _Babs, Artemis is going undercover,_ he thought. _Kaldur is a spy for us and we're faking Artemis' death in a matter of months. Since she accepted her role in all this, he's desperate to get as much time as possible with her to the point where he's way too overprotective. And I don't like that, either._

"Wally has a reason for acting the way he been acting lately," he said.

Her breath against his skin was shallow. "OK."

"But it's not a _good_ reason," he admitted, both to her and himself, "He's coming from a selfish place and acting like an asshole and if I was a better friend I'd call him on it. I promise you he didn't force her to quit and he isn't hurting her, but I also promised _him_ I wouldn't talk about why he's been like this. "

"But is Artemis alright?"

"Yes, she's good. She's happy." That was one thing Dick knew for sure.

Babs let out a breath.

"I'm still not happy about this. I'm not. But thank you for telling me."

Silence. Dick traced her back with his fingers. She took another deep breath.

"Look, I know you're always going to keep some secrets, Grayson," she looked up at him and pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear, "From our civilian friends. From the team. From me. It comes with your job."

He sighed. "Most people wouldn't understand that."

"Well, most people don't keep their secret vigilantism from their GPD dad," she said, "Dick, I get that you can't tell me everything. Maybe you can't answer all of my questions when I ask them. But there's one thing I need from you. If this is going to be something …" she paused and Dick gulped at the delay, "then just don't lie to me. That's all I ask."

He knew that was a promise he couldn't keep.

"Of course, Babs. I promise." He smiled down at her as she nuzzled deeper against him. Her eyes closed, she couldn't see him turn a grimace towards the ceiling.

_"This will ruin everything."_

_"I don't care."_

He had wanted her so bad and while Barbara might have wanted him just as much, Dick still made love to her not caring about the consequences. Since he was 13 he didn't want to be Batman, the man who sacrifices the people he cares about in an instant. But Dick was worse than Bruce – Dick was a lying, selfish bastard. Because in only a few months time, Babs will lose one of her best friends to a former ally and she'll come to her lover for comfort and he'll lie to her again. He'll hold her in his arms and swear he did all he could to save her but he'll be the cause of her heartache. _And the best case scenario is we win the war, no one dies, Artemis comes back and Babs will know I lied to her. And then I'll lose her._

_And yet I'm still doing this._

"I just need to figure out if I want to date Nightwing or Dick Grayson," she said sleepily in his chest. His heart betrayed him by skipping a beat at the D word.

"Can't you date both?" he asked.

"On _this_ team? They all know I'm Barbara Gordon, stupid," she wacked his stomach with her fist, "I'm pretty sure they're going to put two and two together when I'm dating their leader _and_ Bruce Wayne's heir. I don't think the sunglasses are going to be much cover for you at that point."

"So what do you suggest?"

She bit her lip tentatively. "We could keep it a secret?," she said, tracing her fingers delicately across his pecs, "Just for a while. If we keep things low key then no one will suspect."

He snorted. "Yeah well, you weren't here when Conner and M'Gann got together. They kept going off to 'fix the bikes.'"

"Oh come on, we're going to be more subtle than that," she grinned and leaned in by his ear, "We'll say we have to practice maneuver seven."

"Babs, you … wait, I don't think we could do maneuver seven in bed."

"You wanna bet?"

"Just go to sleep, Gordon."

She melted into his arms and yawned, "Don't tell me what to do, Grayson," before falling right to sleep. Rubbing her back with his hand, he carefully pulled her comforter over them. Exhausted, Dick drifted off to sleep just hoping there would be a way he could keep her in the end.

**February 19** **th** **, 2016 15:06 EST, Mount Justice**

Briefing Alpha Squad was more difficult than usual. It was hard to focus when the girl who slept naked in your arms all night was right there on the screen, pretending nothing happened.

"We have confirmation Bialya's telepathic enforcer is still catatonic in a Quarachi hospital … after his last encounter with you," Dick motioned to M'gann on the screen.

The morning wake-up was slightly awkward once Dick realized he only had his Nightwing suit to wear back to the Manor. After Bab's borrowed some mens' sweats from her very kind neighbor, he and Barbara said their goodbyes – long goodbyes, punctuated by brief make out sessions as they got closer and closer to the door. Dick then had to rush home to change so he could make an urgent rendezvous with Kaldur detailing the Light's activities during the last month. Needless to say, he was really late by the time he got to the Cave and Karen , M'Gann, Cass and Barbara were already well on their way to Bialya.

Part of him was relieved he didn't see Barbara in person – he didn't want to give away their secret romance on the first day. But a bigger part of him wanted to see her in person as soon as possible. And alone. And naked if possible.

"But Bialya's dictator, Queen Bee, is another story," he continued, "Her ability to control the minds of men is why Alpha is an all-female squad for this mission."

His eyes finally fell to Batgirl, who smiled wickedly from what was normally his seat on the bioship. _Uh-oh._

"Oh reeeally," she said dragging out the last word, "and would you have felt the need to justify an all _male_ squad for a given mission?"

The rest of Alpha squad glared at Nightwing, waiting for his response. For the first time since their midnight sparring session, he was utterly flustered. His cheeks burned and he was sure he was blushing. Dick wanted to sass her back and normally he would, but everything that came to mind would give away that he wanted to kiss her at that very moment. Plus, he couldn't think of a good comeback anyway.

After a quick attempt to buy some time by clearing his throat, Dick just responded, "There—there's no right answer for that, is there? Nightwing out."

His monitor went dark, but not before he caught Batgirl smiling triumphantly. He had a feeling the girls were all laughing at him as they made their way to Bialya. He rubbed his neck in frustration, but somehow he was smiling. Of course Barbara would sass him – she's his Babs. And then it hit him.

He got out his phone and hit 1 on speed dial. It took a few rings to pick up.

"Hey man, um, what's going on?" Wally's voice sounded anxious. Dick knew that since they started planning, Wally assumed any call from him was bad news.

"Everything's fine. It's not about that," he said. "I was just wondering … what was that advice Kent Nelson gave you back when you had on the Helmet? You know, the part about girls? You told me a while ago, but I couldn't remember."

Silence. "Um, OK. He told me to find a girl who won't let me 'get away with nothin'.' His words," Wally added. "Why are you asking?"

Dick ran his hands through his hair and sighed. "Dude … I think I'm in trouble."


End file.
